Hopeless
by Keri Maxwell
Summary: During the battle with Naraku, someone dies..... oneshot


may be slighty OOC....okay it WILL be slighty OOC......fine, damnit it WILL be QUITE OOC. i think...  
  
*disclaimer - i do own inu-yasha! i do! i do! well....the plushie inu- yasha....*  
  
n.n hell hath no fury like inu-yasha on a sugar high  
  
~*^*~  
  
Hopeless  
  
~*^*~  
  
They knew this day would come. The final showdown with Naraku. Inu-yasha and Sango had been fighting him head on while Miroku stayed with Kagome and Shippo to keep them safe. The wasps had been abundant, in an effort to keep Miroku on the sidelines. Unfortunately, it had been working. Kagome occasionally shot at Naraku with her enchanted arrows, but, for the most part, they missed. Shippo fought bravely by setting fire to any wasps that got close enough to either him or Kagome.  
  
It happened very quickly. Kirara slammed into Naraku, setting him off balance. Inu-yasha attacked, but even though he missed, Kagome finally managed to hit Naraku, blowing away most of his left side. Naraku turned on Inu-yasha sending him into the trees with a blast of magic. He then lashed out at Kagome, but missed in his weakened state. Instead, he caught Shippo, determined to protect her. The tiny demon went flying to the ground, hitting with a sickening thud. Inu-yasha heard Kagome scream and turned to make sure the same hadn't happened to her. While Inu-yasha was distracted, Naraku attacked him once again, but because he was missing his left side, the force was greatly reduced and Inu-yasha recovered quickly enough to finish off what remained of Naraku. He crumpled to the ground, leaving little but dust. Without a second glance to the now-dead spider demon, Inu- yasha ran to where Kagome was clutching Shippo to her body.  
  
She was crying.  
  
From where he stood, Inu-yasha couldn't see Shippo, only the blood that dripped to the ground.  
  
*  
  
Inu-yasha bolted upright. His claws gripped the tree branch under him to steady himself and to keep from falling on his companions below him. He was panting quietly, and wiped some of the cold sweat of his forehead. It had happened again. A similar dream had been plaguing him for weeks now. Though he would never admit it, it was starting to worry him. Each time, a different one of them would die at Naraku's hands, and their faces were hidden, out of his reach.  
  
He leaned forward a bit to peer down at the others, noting the one was missing.  
  
"Feh. Stupid girl. Running off to her time." Inu-yasha slumped against the tree and tried to still his wildly beating heart.  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
The next afternoon, Inu-yasha plopped down next to the well. The damn girl still wasn't back yet. What the hell could possibly take so long? He glanced up at the sun. She said she would be back at noon, and now the sun was almost setting. If that damn girl had gone and gotten herself killed, he would never forgive her, especially now that they had Naraku so close! He sat and glared at the well for a few minutes before getting bored and resting his head on it. A few more minutes passed. Inu-yasha began tapping on the well with his claws when Kagome's scent finally appeared.  
  
"Inu-yasha! Are you there?" Kagome called from the bottom of the well.  
  
"Yes, you stupid wench. I'm always here!" Inu-yasha reached into the well to help pull Kagome out, oblivious to what he had just said. Without missing a beat, he pulled her onto his back and took to the trees, wanting to make up lost time.  
  
"Inu-yasha! What's the hurry?!" Kagome clung to Inu-yasha, for fear she might slip off.  
  
"Naraku. We found him."  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
As Inu-yasha and Kagome reached the others, Inu-yasha refused to stop, choosing instead to grab Shippo as he ran by and left Miroku and Sango to follow. They wanted to catch up with Naraku when he had no place to run and no time to hide. Everyone intuitively knew it would be the only opportunity they would have in a while. On the way there, no one spoke, and the silence was deafening. They knew this was going to be a huge battle, and nobody was quite sure what to say to that. After an hour of traveling, they could feel the aura of evil that hung about Naraku. Finally, Kagome spoke up.  
  
"Inu-yasha?" She sounded very timid.  
  
"Yeah?" Inu-yasha tried to keep all nervousness out of his voice.  
  
"Could you promise me something?" Kagome's nervousness shone through her voice like a 100 watt bulb.  
  
"Keh. I suppose." He tried to turn and see her face, understand what she was getting at, but she had ducked her head.  
  
"Promise me.....that you won't die. Alright?"  
  
Inu-yasha's dreams rose to the surface. Could he promise her that?  
  
"I....I promise." 'Of course. They were only dreams.' Inu-yasha mentally hit himself over the head. 'I'm being stupid.' (AN: NEWSFLASH!)  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
When they found Naraku, they a were a bit apprehensive to say the least. For one thing, he was alone. Kagura and Kanna were missing, as well as any number of youkai he may have created.  
  
'Perhaps we really *did* catch him off-guard' Inu-yasha looked at Naraku's face for any clue that might give him away. 'Even so, he looks very confident...'  
  
Overhead, thunder rumbled, promising rain.  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
Inu-yasha kept dodging attacks, waiting for a chance to go on the offensive. Sango rode Kirara, continuing to make passes at Naraku, but to no avail. Despite the lack of Kagura and Kanna, the wasps were present, limiting Miroku to his spiritual powers. Shippo was using his fox-fire to burn the wasps that came near him and Kagome, who stood at the ready with her bow, looking for any opportunity to use her miko arrows. They finally got their chance when Sango tried a different tactic. Instead of flying over Naraku to try and hit him with her Hiraikotsu, she told Kirara to ram right into him. Naraku was caught off balance, and Inu-yasha used this chance to swing at him. Though he missed, Naraku was distracted enough that Kagome managed to shoot an arrow at him, hitting his left side.  
  
Inu-yasha's eyes widened in shock. 'No....this can't be right.' Unfortunately, Naraku noticed the hanyou's shock, and using his powerful magic as well as physical strength, he threw Inu-yasha over Kagome's head into the surrounding foliage far behind her.  
  
Inu-yasha stood and shook his head, trying to regain his senses. When he peered through the trees to battlefield, he saw Sango and Miroku's determined faces, barely holding their own. Shippo faced him, scorching another wasp. Kagome was to his left and had her back turned to him, facing Naraku as she aimed. He couldn't see her face.  
  
The hanyou out of the way, Kirara still regaining her senses and the humans on foot, Naraku saw his opportunity for attack. He lashed out toward Kagome with one of his tentacle like limbs, just as Inu-yasha emerged from the brush to charge at him.  
  
However, Inu-yasha stopped when he heard Naraku make contact with Kagome's body.  
  
'No....it can't be true!'  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
Kagome hung suspended in the air for what felt like hours, but was in fact a matter of mere seconds. Time stopped in the atmosphere of shock and disbelief. Kagome's hair was flying forward, hiding her face from Inu- yasha's view. He saw her hit the ground with a sickening thud, blood spraying, and then, she lay still. Inu-yasha felt something pent up inside of him release, and he directed it toward Naraku. Shaking with fury, Inu- yasha swung Tetsuaiga with all his might, calling upon the Kaze no Kizu and slicing through Naraku, much like he had done with Hiten. The look of disbelief on Naraku's face matched Inu-yasha's. Naraku fell to the ground with a dull thud, but to Inu-yasha, it sounded distant.  
  
Was it....  
  
Was it over?  
  
Inu-yasha looked about him at the bloody battlefield, noting that some of the blood was his own, some Naraku's, and some...  
  
"Kagome!" Inu-yasha came to his senses and sprinted over to her, trying to see her face, make sure she was alright.  
  
Unlike his dream, he reached her.  
  
"Kagome...." He looked upon her face, which was free of blood, much unlike the rest of her body. Her chest had many large slashes across it, and her legs were bent at wrong angles. Pale hands rested in a quickly enlarging pool of blood, one that Inu-yasha could not stop. His body went limp, and he dropped the Tetsuaiga. Kneeling beside her, he lowered his head and tilted it so he could place an ear over her heart.  
  
It was met with silence.  
  
He quickly jerked his head back up, stunned. Inu-yasha shook his head. "No, stupid girl. You're just playing tricks on me." He ran a finger over her face, noting that it wasn't as warm as it should be. "You're just playing tricks!"  
  
By this point, the others had assembled themselves behind the pair, looking on in the hope that Kagome had survived. Sango and Miroku watched nervously, while Shippo had already collapsed into tears.  
  
Inu-yasha was getting frantic. Why hadn't she woken up? Why wouldn't she open her eyes? "Kagome! Wake up! This isn't funny anymore!" He yelled, slamming his fists into the ground. He growled loudly, but it quickly tapered off, and he lifted his head to look at the silent girl. Inu-yasha shook her shoulders lightly, but got no response. When nothing continued to happen, he pulled his hands away, and saw they were covered in blood. He sat in shocked silence, intrigued by the blood on his hands.  
  
Miroku heard the hanyou fall silent, and believed that it meant that Inu- yasha understood that Kagome was indeed, dead. He stepped forward quietly, and placed a hand on Inu-yasha's shoulder. "Come Inu-yasha, we should return her to her family. Or at least give a proper burial."  
  
Inu-yasha twitched. "No.....she's.....she's not.....SHE'S NOT DEAD!" He clutched the girl to him, clinging to the slim hope that she lived, while her blood continued to drip to the cold ground. He rocked her gently, not wanting to damage her more than she was. Tears slid down his face unchecked, but he never let her go. Inu-yasha began to mumble to her, disbelief melting to heart wrenching sadness.  
  
"You can't die, girl.....I..." He paused to brush a strand of hair from her still clean face. "....I never got to.....tell you. I never got to tell you." Inu-yasha continued to rock the girl, and eventually, Sango kneeled down beside them, leaving the wailing kitsune with Miroku. She too, had tears streaming down her face. Without a thought to his reaction, Sango gave both Inu-yasha and Kagome a hug, which made her cry more. Miroku also knelt with them, placing a comforting hand on both. Surprisingly, Shippo leapt off Miroku to cling to Inu-yasha instead, staining the sleeve of his haori with hot tears.  
  
Above, thunder rolled, and the skies released the promised rain, the heavens crying with them.  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
It had taken a long time for Inu-yasha to compose himself enough to return Kagome to her time and family. When that time finally came, he silently lifted the girl off the blood stained ground and solemnly walked in the general direction of the well. Upon reaching it, he hopped in, trying not to jar the girl; still half believing she wasn't dead.  
  
After drifting through a surreal blue expanse, Inu-yasha found himself in the well house. He carefully leapt out of the well and onto the lowest stair. He climbed them, and then nudged the door open with his shoulder, not wanting to drop Kagome.  
  
Meanwhile, Kagome's grandfather was sweeping the area around the god tree when he heard the well house door being opened. "Welcome back, Kagome! What did you--" He abruptly stopped when he saw a certain half demon holding his granddaughter. "Eh? Inu-yasha? Is Kagome alright?"  
  
Inu-yasha opened his mouth to speak, but found he couldn't, so just shook his head instead. It was then that Kagome's grandfather noticed the blood dripping to the ground.  
  
"Hang on, let me find the others." Kagome's grandfather hurried off, fear and worry gripping at his heart.  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
Her family hadn't taken it well. Mrs. Higurashi had sobbed and yelled, and Sota had all but lost his faith in his 'brother'. It was disheartening at the very least. For weeks after, no one was quite the same. Shippo became very depressed, and spoke very little. Sango would often break down sobbing whenever she saw something that reminded her of Kagome. Miroku had even resigned from his lecherous habits. And Inu-yasha kept away from everyone. He would often sit in a tree near the well, rarely coming down, and only for the necessities. It was in this spot that Miroku found him, a few weeks after Kagome's death.  
  
"Inu-yasha," Miroku looked in the tree to make sure he hadn't run off already. He was still there. "You can't go on like this forever."  
  
"Keh. Who says I can't." Miroku heard him move to a higher branch.  
  
"I'm surprised you actually responded. It's been what, five days, since you've spoken to us? You haven't eaten in three days, and I know you haven't slept in longer than that."  
  
"What do you care?" Miroku knew he was pushing his luck. Many times before, Inu-yasha had simply gone and left him there.  
  
"Inu-yasha! If you continue like this, you're gonna get yourself killed! And why do you sit near the well?! She's dead Inu-yasha! And she's not coming back!" Miroku yelled.  
  
That statement hit home. In a flash, Inu-yasha was on the ground in front of Miroku. "You think I don't know that?!" He glared at him for emphasis.  
  
"You're not the only one that's affected by this! Get a hold of yourself!"  
  
"You're telling me to get a hold of myself?! You didn't have the woman you love just die, did you?!"  
  
Miroku took a step back. He had long suspected it, but for the half-demon to finally admit he loved Kagome? Miroku thought the day would never come. He continued, his voice softer. "Still, you have to move on."  
  
"Keh. What do you know of such things?" And with that statement, Inu-yasha finished the conversation by returning to his tree. Miroku watched Inu- yasha for another minute, sighed, and returned to the others.  
  
Inu-yasha sat in his tree for a few more moments, waiting until Miroku could not hear him, then leapt to the ground. He glanced at the well. The last thing had had said to her rang in his mind. Perhaps, now would be as good a time as any to let her know. Quietly, as though he was being watched, Inu-yasha crept to the well and peered in. There was so much he carried by himself. It was about time he and Kagome had a little talk. Silently, he gracefully fell into the well to appear centuries in the future.  
  
*  
  
~*^*~  
  
Inu-yasha had been more than reluctant to return to Kagome's time, especially since he hadn't gotten the greatest welcome on his previous 'visit'. Yet, there were some things he wanted to say to Kagome. Getting away from the Feudal Era and the prying questions of his comrades already put him in a slightly better that utterly dismal mood. The weather was dark and rainy in the future, and the fact that it was raining when Kagome died did not go unnoticed by Inu-yasha. The irony nearly killed him a second time. He climbed the steps in the well house lethargically, and then slid the door open to reveal the gray, soggy world. Instinctively, he looked to the Goshinboku tree, and saw the recent addition at its base.  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
Inu-yasha slowly walked toward the small, yet elaborate marble marker, ignoring the drizzling rain about him. By the time he reached the tree, he was thoroughly soaked and his feet were muddy. But he ignored that as well, choosing instead to focus on the inscription on the marker.  
  
'Higurashi Kagome 1982-1998'[1]  
  
"Hello, Kagome."  
  
Inu-yasha didn't know what the numbers meant, but he also knew he didn't care. He struggled with what to say next.  
  
"It's different...without you there. Finding the jewel shards is a lot more difficult. Yeah, we still have some left. Apparently Naraku didn't have them all. And Kouga won't give his up either, even after we told him."  
  
Another moment of silence passed, in which Inu-yasha kneeled down beside the marker, soaking his pants with mud and water. Hesitantly, he reached a hand to gingerly touch the cool, wet surface of the marble.  
  
"They all miss you. I...miss you. Without you there, life hardly seems worth living, jewel or not."  
  
At this, the wind picked up, the rain slapping him in the face. Inu-yasha gave a sad smile.  
  
"No, you stupid girl. I wouldn't do anything like that."  
  
Many moments passed, and Inu-yasha sat with the marker in silence. The rain picked up, but the change went unnoticed by the hanyou. He continued to stare, trying to form coherent thoughts.  
  
"Perhaps it's because I already feel dead." He mumbled under his breath. "A few days after you...." Inu-yasha couldn't bring himself to say it, so he left the word unsaid. "...Kikyo showed up. She knew you were gone, and could never get her soul back. I don't know if death with Kikyo would be worse than life alone.." He thought for a moment. "Shippo was a wreck. He's doing a little better now, I suppose. And Miroku's not such a pervert anymore. Crazy, huh? Kagura is actually alive. She came by a few days after we killed Naraku. She wanted to thank you for killing him, but you weren't there...."  
  
The idle rambling chatter did little to calm his nerves. He kept denying the facts, yet stone solid evidence of the month's events sat right in front of him. He read the name inscribed on the marker once more, and he felt his throat tighten.  
  
"Kagome....I wonder...what would have happened.....if you had lived. Where would you have stayed? I also wonder.....what I will become. Humans are too weak..." He glared at the offending piece of stone. "But being a demon means I would lose my mind and soul. Even if we completed the jewel, I don't think I could use it. Seems fate had beat me once again."  
  
Inu-yasha bowed his head. Despite his tough nature, he was cracking, and he knew it too.  
  
"It also seems....history has repeated itself. The protector of the jewel was killed....and her protector left behind in the land of the living. I knew I never should have...."  
  
"...never should have....fallen in love again."  
  
Inu-yasha's shoulders slumped, and he shook his head. He should have known it would happen. Why had he thought he was special? That he would be able to have a happy life? He was cursed. Their whole group was cursed. Even Kagome had her problems. She had to put up with the rest of them, didn't she?  
  
"Not anymore...." He unknowingly whispered the last part out loud.  
  
If possible, he slumped even more into the soaked ground. The fuzzy ears Kagome loved so much drooped so they nearly blended in with his hair. His deceivingly small frame shook as hot tears mingled with the cool raindrops as he finally let himself show what he felt openly.  
  
Nearly two hours after he had left, Inu-yasha returned to the Warring States Era, and to a life he no longer wished to lead.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
.  
  
[1]in the manga, it says Kagome's 15th birthday was in 1997  
  
*soooooob* i was on the verge of tears the entire time i was writing this....i'm so sorry......i made kagome DIE! *sob*  
  
R&R please...it'll cheer me up.  
  
c|_| Keri Maxwell (jebus...Kagome's 5 years older than me!)  
  
*sob*  
  
this fic is my love-child. please be nice. however, i would like any criticism you have, especially on writing style..and if the characters were OOC. well, mainly inu-yasha since its mainly about inu-yasha. neways.ill shut up now. . 


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